Yes, very nice, but is it Art?

Oh behold, why don't you.

I've given the eye to some art in my time and believe you me I've patronised (any form of giving - you know me), encouraged and even watered and stabled some fledgling talent over the years.

So today has been such a treat. I've had the smell of turpentine and Artist's oils in my nose, I've enjoyed a bona troll in the sun with great company around some hitherto unknown corners of my neighbourhood, I've been inside some lovely houses and studios, and I've seen some great art.

All this on 1700 calories a day!

It's a lifestyle, I know, and I suit it so well.

Occasion? Well it is the Dulwich festival - very Margo Ledbetter meets Lynda Snell, and mostly to be avoided, but the Artsits' Open Studio (they call it House) is not something I like to miss. And this year the pin in the map approach to engorged enjoyment certainly pricked well.

On hand was my Artist friend Marsha who knows and grows her onions, and is always good for a bit of quality artist insider chit chat with the painters themselves. They like sharing their craft and fire off each other beautifully. I'm happy simply sniffing their rags and wondering how quickly they'll appreciate.

So here's a whistle stop tour of the tip of the top, the pick of the pop, the cream of the crop, I thank you.

First stop, gorgeous textiles from Trisha Needham. Trisha's studio is dominated by her humongous printing table where she produces a wonderful array of original fabrics. I already have one of her beautiful hand printed linen cushions - as shown.
www.trishaneedham.com/main.html

Then it was round the corner (via some very camp polari with the dance studio man - we're going to his charity craft market in June - it'll be postcards from Tenerifee and vodka off the shoulders on the Lane next) to a trio of male furniture designers - sixninethree. Whilst Marsha discussed the the beauty of bespoke, I fingered their veneers and stroked their lovely dog. It would have been a really good choice for a blind or visually impaired art and design lover as the smell of the wood was beautiful and the opportunity for grain caressing were a plenty. Gorgeous.

www.sixninethree.co.uk
 

Next stop some beautifully embroidered linen inspired by, and expertly recreated from the hand written notes on old postcards sent from Skegness in the 1930's. The artists Linda Lithcfield is a retired lawyer if you please.

www.lindalitchfield.co.uk


Hot footing it on to Forest Hill and a wonderful new find for me - Havelock Walk. This beautiful hidden mews is made up entirely of artists studios. Some of the studios were amazing Victorian loft spaces - the sort of thing accommodation fantasies are made of. I was drawn to two very inspiring artists. The first was Tessa Holmes, who was showing amongst other things, a series of beautiful screen prints inspired by the architecture in Rome. I love Rome, so these were really special, and I will probably go back and get one sometime over the summer.
www.tessaholmes.com

The other artist whose creations I really loved, but which were a little too expensive, otherwise I would have snapped one up pronto like, was Rebecca Molloy. She was showing some beautiful portraits which she had painted on clear acrylic, the colours being of varying depth and density, and layered to produce a beautiful light filled affect. They were very striking.

www.rebeccamolloy.co.uk

Our penultimate stop was back in East Dulwich and a wonderful photographer, going by the monika of Keith Parry. We were both really drawn to the photo in the guide and were not disappointed when we saw it and his other work up close. Really impressive. www.keithparry.com

 
And finally Mario D'Oliverira and his Brazilian ceramics. Marsha made a purchase here of a very interesting teapot which he was very proud of and very attached to - and so he should have been. Lovely stuff.
www.ceramicsmario.blog.co.uk

Now I'd told Marsha not to let me by any textiles, no ceramics and certainly no art, as I have no room and no need. So how well did she do? Well I only brought one beautiful cushion from Trisha Needham, some great cards of ED in the snow from Keith Parry, and a solar powered waving QE2 from Mrs Robinson on the Lane.

Gorgeous - what a lovely day and how lucky I am.

The People's Poet

I see it, I write it.........

Midday Poetry Part 2

People struggling off their scooters and puffing out of breath,

Queuing for expensive over the counter medications they don't actually need,

But have seen advertised loudly and in Technicolor on Sky Living and ITV 1.

People in clothes too small, podgy in lace, lycra and gold trimmed leggings,

Straining to hear and understand each other's familial heckles,

Through the fog and slurry of grunted adenoidal diction.

People shouting txt speak in catalogue knock off - 'O.M.G!',

'he'll be on crack next - I'm gonna start 'losin' ri-spect for 'im',

Whilst eating fried foods, their mouths wide open as they drop litter without shame.

Midday Poetry

I just came across - it should wipe off, the start of a poem I started to write the other week having popped out for a sandwich at lunchtime in the glamorous neighbourhood in which I have the pleasure of working.

I think it says a lot in very little. But you wouldn't want to read the whole bloody poem would you!


Lunch Break by William Godwin

People smelling of drink queuing for doughnuts
Others with glazed loss in their eyes furtively smoking tab ends

I thank you.

Giving Up

No don't worry this isn't a last dash attempt to share before I flutter from this world by way of desperate measures. Nothing so poetic.

So I haven't written for a while - this is true, but I'm not sure why, although I have been quite busy. I don't seem to have ignited the sparkler which normally fizzes into a creative blurt. But spurned on by the productive creativity of those more able, I am keen to let you know that I am still here and give you something in return for your kind attention.



So yes, I've been giving up! And I must say those three degrees moves are strangely reminiscent of my own in house boogeyrobics (if no 3 degrees vid present I suggest you go and enjoy this at the original source http://wgodwinesq.blogspot.com/.)

I've given up a lot of things over the years, I've given up girls, I've given up meat,  I've given up religion, I've even given up on David Soul.............



I've given up the fags, I've given up eating unhealthily, and I've given up my fair share of men. [surely enough giving up - Ed]. Well yes, indeed, a polite sufficiency of  removal and reduction to be sure.

The biggest thing I ever gave up was the fags, Gawd Blimey did I like a smoke. There are so few photos of me without a fag in my hand between the ages of 20 and 35, and this was because during waking hours I was invariably smoking. Adrian used to worry that the only place I wasn't able to smoke was the shower, and set about designing me a Heath Robinson esque waterproof smoking device. We never actually put it into production, but it made the point that I was very good at smoking.

The other thing I have always been very good at is drinking. My speciality as those who have shared a tipple or two with me over the years is vin fin rouge. Oh my how the red grape has slideth down my throat over the years, more than occasionally. When I finally gave up smoking I recall being amazed by the ease with which I transmogrified from a smoker to a non smoker. But even though I was pleased and amazed, I told the assembled that whatever came to pass 'don't expect me to give up the grape, cos it just ain't happenin'.'

So what have I gone and given up now then? Yes drink! No wonder I've been busy - I have a lot more energy and down time to fill. Has it been easy - yes, why? because I am not experiencing it as a deficit model, I don't feel like I am doing without anything, I don't feel like I am missing anything, there is nothing negative about it actually. I'm not quite sure why - maybe it was my time, maybe like so many bloody things in our lives the anticipation is worse than the execution.

But I am enjoying the benefits, including a waist difference resulting from my wine calories reduction, better sleeping, and never a fuzzy head, a bit more energy, and loads of cupboards cleaned and dusty corners cleared.

So that's what I have been doing, that and looking forward to retirement and wishing I had a new car, and longing for a villa by the sea, and trying to win the lottery, and thinking about Prince Harry and ................